In 2023, 46 million overnight stays were booked in Germany's holiday apartments and houses. This was made possible by the increasing trend of online bookings, with domestic and foreign guests utilizing the four major platforms-Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia.
The data reveals an 8.3% surge in overnight stays compared to 2022, a significant increase underscoring the growing preference for online booking. In fact, the figures for 2023 surpassed the pre-COVID-19 level of 2019, with guests booking 37.2 million overnight stays in Germany via these platforms, marking a 23.6% increase in overnight stays compared to 2019. These figures, published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) and the European Statistical Office Eurostat, provide a comprehensive view of the monthly tourism statistics.
Overnight Stays in Holiday Apartments with Fewer Than 10 Beds
It's worth noting that the majority of overnight stays, almost 95%, were booked in holiday apartments or houses offered by accommodation establishments with less than 10 beds. These accommodations, often provided by private landlords as a sideline, play a significant role in the tourism industry. This data, which complements the official monthly survey in tourism that only covers establishments with at least 10 beds, provides a more comprehensive understanding of the accommodation landscape in Germany.
To clarify the official tourism statistics, they show 95.2 million overnight stays for holiday apartments and houses in 2023. Therefore, the platform data represent approximately half of the overnight stays in holiday apartments and houses as compared to the official statistics. However, at most, 5% of this data is also recorded in the official tourism statistics. The remaining 95% of bookings complete the picture for overnight stays in this type of accommodation.
More Online Bookings from Domestic Travelers
In 2023, guests from Germany booked via four online platforms in holiday apartments and houses over 31.6 million overnight stays, a 4.1% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, guests from abroad saw an even more substantial increase of 18.7% year-on-year, with just under 14.5 million overnight stays booked.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel industry in Germany has shown remarkable resilience. Cross-border tourism in holiday apartments and houses has recovered and exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The number of overnight stays booked by guests from abroad in 2023 was 5.4% higher than in 2019. Additionally, the number of overnight stays by guests from Germany saw an impressive increase of 34.2% when compared to pre-pandemic levels. These figures are a testament to the enduring appeal of Germany as a travel destination and the adaptability of the tourism sector.
Nearly 2 Million Overnight Stays by Guests from the Netherlands
As in the previous year, guests from the Netherlands accounted for the most significant number of overnight stays in Germany by guests from abroad in 2023, at almost 2 million. Poland followed in second place with 1.3 million overnight stays, followed by the USA in third place with 1.2 million. These two countries have swapped places 2 and 3 compared to the previous year. As in the last year, the top 5 countries of origin in 2023 were completed by France (1.1 million overnight stays) and Switzerland (0.8 million).